Bears pummel tiny Rocky Mountain College in opener

Upon further review, the Rocky Mountain College football team was exactly what the University of Northern Colorado team thought it was.

Not very good.

UNC played as expected in a 56-27 romp over RMC before 4,319 sun-drenched fans at Nottingham Field, including members of the 1996 and 1997 Bears' Division II National Championship teams.

It was the season opener for UNC, while the NAIA Bears dropped to 1-1.

Boola, boola Bears.

UNC piled up 457 yards of total offense — more than 300 in the first half — and raced to a 42-0 lead as five players scored — Ellis Onic II, Darius Graham, Jacob Knipp, Trae Riek and Stephen Miller — in the first 30 minutes in the one-sided game.

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Two Rocky Mountain College fumbles set up two of UNC's early scores.

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UNC coach Earnest Collins Jr. emptied the bench in the second half — most starters never saw the field after the break — but still put up two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

"There were a few things we could have done better, but as far as how we prepared for this week, they did what we expected," said Knipp, who rushed for one touchdown (1 yard in first quarter) and threw for another (32-yard pass to Stephen Miller in the second quarter) that was under review, but eventually ruled a touchdown.

Knipp was good for 197 all-purpose yards and led the Bears to scores on all four of their first-quarter possessions, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ellis Onic II on the fifth play from scrimmage.

Graham scored both of his touchdowns — runs of 5 and 2 yards — in the first half, finishing off drives that featured long runs by Riek (11 carries, 55 yards) and Brandon Cartagena (10 carries, 86 yards).

"I made sure to tell those guys that those touchdowns were their's," said Graham, who had only seven rushes, two for touchdowns. "I told them I appreciate them getting us down there, but they told me that it's a team effort and it doesn't matter who gets the glory."

UNC's first four touchdowns consumed only 6 minutes, 41 seconds of possession time, and two second-quarter scores took just 5:24.

"We came out and did what we were supposed to do in the first half," Collins said. "We wanted to start fast and I told our guys that if we came out like we were supposed to in the right mental frame of mind … we would do what we did to this team in the first half.

"It was nothing more than undisciplined football (in the second half)," Collins added.

With a horde of reserves in the lineup, the Bears gave up 27 second-half points, the most glaring on two long drives by Rocky Mountain College — one going 11 plays for 75 yards and 3:57 that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Chase White to Zane Guse; and one that ate up 7:14 off the clock that resulted with White running in from the 3.

"We just talked about execution and effort," Rocky Mountain coach Jason Petrino told the Billings Gazette. "The first two series, you get two turnovers and that's tough. You put yourself in a hole quickly."

RMC finished with 404 yards of total offense, but had a measly 117 at the half, including only 16 on 11 plays from scrimmage in the second quarter.

"Everything we practiced against was right there," said UNC linebacker Kyle Newsom, who has six tackles, and played only one series in the second half.

Collins wanted to keep the pedal to the metal through the first half, but was confident to let the reserves earn playing time in the second half.

UNC's longest play from scrimmage in the second half was an 87-yard touchdown run by Zachary Lindsay, which was also under review but ruled that he crossed the plane of the goal line before going down.

"We'll look at the first half and say that's how we're supposed to play and we'll teach from the second half," Collins said. "Now we'll have to get ready … we'll start over tomororrow and get ready for Abilene Christian."

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE

Jacob Knipp gets the nod here, completing 11 of 16 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 12 yards and scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter.

TURNING POINT

With 4 minutes, 25 seconds still left in the first half, UNC's Trae Riek scored on a 10-yard run to put the Bears ahead 28-0. By then, the Bears had 202 yards of offense to just 24 yards of offense and had turned the ball over twice.

WHAT IT MEANS

Some solid momentum for UNC as it goes on the road for another nonconference game, against Abilene Christian, which lost 37-21 at the Air Force Academy.